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Wednesday, 23 March 2011

jury tonight found a Centre Hall woman guilty of murdering her husband, with the help of a Bellefonte man with whom she was having an affair.

The jury deliberated for less than two hours before finding Mirinda Boob and Ronald Heichel were each guilty of all the charges against them -- first and third-degree murder, criminal conspiracy to commit homicide and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.

The first-degree murder conviction means an automatic life sentence for each of them. They also were each sentenced to 20 to 40 years on the conspiracy charge.

The reaction of both was succinct:

"It sucks," Mirinda Boob said.

"God have mercy on their souls," said Heichel.

Prosecutors argued that Mirinda Boob and Heichel conspired to kill Samuel Boob, shooting him in the driveway of his Tusseyville Road home with his own shotgun on Aug. 23, 2009. Heichel was the last in a series of men with whom Mirinda Boob had affairs, and tried to get to kill her husband for her, prosecutors alleged.

The prosecution, led by District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller and Assistant District Attorney Nathan Boob, rested their case this morning, on the fifth day of the trial in Centre County Court. The defense presented only two witnesses before also resting.

The afternoon was devoted to closing arguments by each of the three attorneys -- Edward Blanarik, representing Mirinda Boob, Casey McClain representing Heichel, and Parks Miller.

The case went to the jury in early evening, and the panel deliberated about two hours before returning their verdict shortly before 9 p.m.